Ministers decline request to testify on why Canada still bans Afghan aid work
Global News
Three Liberal ministers have declined invitations to testify as the upper chamber probes why Canada still won't allow humanitarian workers to help in Afghanistan.
Three Liberal ministers have declined invitations to testify at the Senate as the upper chamber probes why Canada still won’t allow humanitarian workers to help in Afghanistan.
The Senate’s human rights committee is expected to begin hearings Monday on federal anti-terrorism rules that bar aid groups from working in Afghanistan.
The Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, and humanitarian groups say that Canadian officials advised them not to pay people in Afghanistan or buy goods there, because paying taxes could count as supporting a terrorist group.
Members of Parliament heard about the issue in early January and recommended in a June report that Ottawa follow its allies– and the United Nations–by amending laws to clarify that delivering aid will not lead to prosecution.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau provided no explanation for what is taking so long when he was asked about the issue on Friday.
“We need to try and figure out how to get aid to communities and individuals who are hurting in Afghanistan, without supporting and funding the terrorist organization that is their government right now,” he told reporters in Vancouver.
“It’s a complex situation. We have a number of allies who’ve moved forward on it, and we are looking to do the same,” he said.
He added that this must be done “in a way that doesn’t support or embolden the government that is busy oppressing and doing violence” to Afghans.
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